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Monday, January 10, 2011

Bread with a Twist

Pretzels!!!! I spent my Sunday afternoon with a friend from my graduate program, Brandi, and learned from her - a pretzel maker extraordinare!

For homemade pretzels we used this recipe (which Brandi prepared the night before). Because of the benefits of whole grains, I probably would have used 1/2 whole wheat flour for the benefit of whole grains, but they sure were delicious as is!

The dough dried out a bit in the rising, so as we took out chunks to roll, we wet our hands first. Then, we sprinkled a but of flour onto the counter and began rolling and shaping the pretzels!

This is Brandi - who just finished running 14 miles and showering and is now making pretzels with me. What a busy Sunday!

Then we let them sit for about 20-30 minutes to rise.

While that was happening, Brandi boiled water with baking soda (she just poured some in, no exact measure). Once it has come to a rolling boil, gently drop the pretzels in the water for about 15-20 seconds.

Then, place the pretzels back on a oiled baking sheet and brush with an eggwash and sprinkle with sea salt (or cinnamon sugar, or garlic and Parmesan, whatever you desire!)

Bake them for 10-15 minutes at 400-450 F, or until they have a golden brown color.

Most importantly - enjoy and eat right away while fresh and hot! Dip with mustard, cheese, hummus, or plain.